Protest delays work till Byrnihat
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: With the construction work of the Tetelia-Byrnihat railway line in limbo for a couple of years now due to opposition from local pressure groups, the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) has now asserted that it would construct the railway line till Assam- Meghalaya border.
An official said that the construction work for the railway project is going on in Assam while the work is completely stalled in Meghalaya.
According to the official, they would construct the line till the border which is around 2.5 km from the proposed Byrnihat railway station.
The official added that the NFR is ready to start the project whenever Meghalaya government gives its nod to start the construction.
The official added that if the state government gives its nod to start the project, they would work on a war footing to complete the project.
It is learnt that there are two tunnels in Meghalaya which need to be completed as part of the project.
The NFR has already taken up the issue of resuming the work with the Meghalaya government and it is learnt that the government is keen to look into the matter only after entry and exit points are set up in the state.
The official also maintained that the matter of setting up entry and exit point in the proposed Byrnihat railway station has already been discussed with the state government.
The 21 km proposed Tetelia-Byrnihat railway line was halted a few years back.
In future, the NFR also intends to introduce rail connectivity to Shillong.
The pressure groups in Khasi Hills are opposed to the idea of introducing railways in Meghalaya as they fear that it would bring large scale influx to the state.
However, there is no opposition in Garo Hills regarding setting up of railways as Mendipathar-Guwahati rail route is being used by commuters on a daily basis.
